1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the integrated presentation of ambient conditions, including various combinations of aroma, light, and sound. More particularly, this invention relates to the controlled and coordinated emission of light and fragrance into a given area such as a room or a region of a yard to create a desired atmosphere within the given area. Even more particularly, this invention relates to the combined presentation of at least two of light, sound, and aroma to produce a desired sensory effect on persons within a given area, through a network of devices for providing fragrance, light, and sound, or a single device which coordinates the emission of the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Automatic light controllers for controlling ambient light in a room are well known. Also known are devices for controlling the temperature and/or humidity in a room and devices for controlling a fragrance to be dispensed in a room. In addition, acoustic generators for generating soothing natural sounds and/or music are also known.
Lighting devices which emit different colored light, such as from light emitting diodes (LEDs) are generally known, as demonstrated with respect to the use of multiple light emitting diodes (LED's) in a single unit, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,149,283. Illumination arrangements which are controlled remotely are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,016,038; 6,150,774; 6,166,496; 6,211,626; 6,292,901; and 6,340,868.
With respect to the many devices known for dispensing fragrance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,410 discloses an electrostatic vapor/aerosol generator for supplying aromatic oil, deodorant, disinfectant, fumigant, fungicide, insecticide or bactericide to a room. U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,418 discloses an adjustable aerosol dispenser for supplying different amounts of a fragrance into a room according to sensed light, odor, sound, etc., within the room. U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,975 discloses a device for emitting a vaporized substance into the atmosphere according to the setting of a timer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,369 discloses an electrostatic sprayer which can spray insecticides, which can be controlled according to selected on times and off times, and which incorporates a sensor to sense the available power for continued operation. U.S. Pat. No. 4,689,515 discloses an ultrasonic liquid atomizer with automatic frequency control. U.S. Pat. No. 3,543,122 and Pat. No. 3,615,041 disclose aerosol dispensers having timers for controlling the operation of the dispensers according to preset times.
Acoustic generators for generating sound and/or playing sounds/music stored in a memory are known in the art. These can be found in conventional clock radios, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,689. Other examples of acoustic generators may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,452,270 and 6,423,892.
The known multicolor lighting, sound, and atmospheric control devices, however, are independently constructed and it is difficult to control the resultant overall effect when several of these devices are used in the same room or area. In addition, the prior art has been capable of producing only limited ambient effects and, consequently, the conditions which have been produced by prior art arrangements are normally recognized as being artificial and not natural. The known devices also do not provide multiple coordinated functions, such as multicolor lighting control together with controlled emission of a fragrance to produce a light presentation with accompanying fragrance variance.
There are, however, plug-in night lights known in the art which dispense fragrance. An example of this type of device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,478,440. Nevertheless, devices of this nature provide limited control of ambient conditions and do not allow for coordinated presentations of various mixtures of light, sound, and aroma.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,554,203 discusses triggering a fragrance based on a signal related to the change of a movie frame or the like. U.S. Pat. No. 5,734,590 discusses triggering an aroma based on a “utility signal.” Again, however, these patents do not describe a device, or network of devices, that allows for the setting and/or programming of a fully coordinated presentation of light, sound, and aroma as detailed below.